because then they would have put nancy pelosi in charge of the house of representatives. see, i think these idea that we talked about i think they're popular ideas. this is a very close election. unfortunately, divided government didn't work very well the last two years. we are going to have to make sure it works for the next two years. that means i think both parties have to talk to each other. >> reporter: diane sawyer asked speaker boehner if you are now the de facto leader of the republican party. and his answer was, oh, i wouldn't think so. paul ryan is a policy wonk. >> i take that as a great compliment from john. >> reporter: is that your role in the republican party, the house policy wonk? >> i have also been one of the house policy wonks. my role is to continue to be a champion of ideas. to help our party be the reform party. that shows how we get economic growth. >> reporter: i asked ryan about speculation that he would be an early front-runner for the republican presidential nomination in 2016. he told me it is way too early to even think about the next preside